Take-down firearm



ov. 30, 1937. V E. PGSLEY 2,100,419

TAKELDOWN FIREARM `Filed June 16, 1936 2 `Sheets-Sheet 1 Nav. 30, i937.. E. PUGSLEY 2,100,4l0

TAKE-DOWN FIREARM Filed June 16, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 CJI Patented Nov. 30, 1937 UNTED TAKE -DOWN FIREARM Application June 16, 1936, Serial No. 85,476

6 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in firearms and particularly to rearms of the takedown type, i. e., irearms in which a butt-unit and a barrel-unit are readily separable one from the other for convenience in packing, shipping and carrying.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a take-down rearm with superior coupling-means for attaching the two units of the iirearm together characterized by simplicity, ruggedness and effectiveness.

Another object is to provide superior quickacting coupling-means by which the separable units of a take-down rearm may be coupled and uncoupled.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the following, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and appended claims, the present invention includes all features disclosed therein which are novel over the prior art.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a broken View in side elevation of a take-down iirearm embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a broken view mainly in side elevation and partly in vertical central longitudinal section with the two units of the rearm shown as coupled together;

Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2 but showing the two units oi the firearm partly separated preparatory to their complete separation or take-down;

Fig. 4 is a broken top or plan view;

Fig. 5 is a broken transverse sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a similar view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional View taken on the line ll of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a broken longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 8f3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 9 .is a view mainly in side elevation and partly in Vertical central section of the rear portion of the barrel-unit frame-member;

Fig. 10 is a view in side elevation of the buttunit frame-member;

Fig. l1 is a perspective view of the couplinglever looking mainly toward the under side thereof;

Fig. 12 is a perspectiveview of the couplingpost; and

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the couplingabutment nut.

The particular take-down firearm herein chosen for illustration includes two major units which are separable one from the other to enable the rearm to be more conveniently packed, shipped or carried. The rear unit of the rearm may for convenience of description be designated as the butt-unit and comprises in the main a buttstock 2G and a butt-unit framemember 2i rigidly coupled to the said buttstock. The complementary front unit of the rearm, designated for convenience of description as the barrel-unit comprises in the main a barrel 22, a barrel-unit frame-member 23 and a forestock 24 removably secured to the under side of the said barrel. 'Ihe butt-unit framemember 2l and the barrel-unit frame-member 23 are adapted to intert to provide a complete frame or receiver for the rearm.

The barrel-unit frame-member 23 throughout the major portion of its length is of inverted U- shaped form in cross-section and includes a cylindrically-contoured upper wall 25, complementary side walls 26--26 and a rear wall 21, the lower edge of which latter terminates at a point above the lower edges of the side walls 23-23.

The butt-unit frame-member 2l includes a body-portion 28 against the forward face of which the rear edge of the frame-member 23 is adapted to abut. The frame-member 2l also includes a forwardly-extending tang 23 which ts between the side walls 23-26 of the barrelunit frame-member 23 and partly closes the open lower end thereof. Formed at the junction of the body-portion 23 and the tang 29 of the framemember 2l is a trigger-guard or loop 30 in which is located a trigger 3l.

Projecting rearwardly and slightly downwardly from the rear wall 2l of the barrel-unit framemember 23 is a coupling-post or stem 32 which is attached to the said rear wall 2l by being provided with an integral forwardly-extending threaded stud 33 fitting into a threaded bore 34 in the said rear wall 2l'. The said couplingpost 32 is adapted to project into a slightlysloping bore or passage 35 formed adjacent the upper end of the body-portion 28 of the buttunit frame-member 2l and extending from front to rear therethrough. The rear end of the said coupling-post 32 is formed with an externallythreaded integral stud 36 upon which is mounted a coupling-nut 3l and a cup-shaped lockor jam-nut 38 having in its rear face a kerf 39 or otherwise provided with means by which it may be turned upon the stud 33. The couplingnut 37 is of conical form and its forward face constitutes an adjustable coupling-abutment 40 as will hereinafter appear. For convenience in adjusting the coupling-nut 37 upon the stud 36 of the post 32, the said nut is provided in its periphery with an annular Vseries of slots 4| adapted to receive a suitable instrument by means of which the said nut may be turned.

The adjustable coupling-abutment 40 formed by the forward face of the coupling-nut 3'| is adapted to be engaged by a cam-lip 42 formed upon a cylindrical stem 43 rigidly offsetting from a coupling-lever 44. ferred to is formed by providing the under face of the stem 43 of the lever 44 with a diametrical clearance-groove 45 of cylindrical contour Yin cross-section, which groove extends at aright angle to the longitudinal axis of the couplinglever 44, as particularly well shown in Fig. 11.

The cylindrical stem 43 of the coupling-lever 44 is mounted for oscillating movement in a cylindrical bearing-opening' 46 Vextending from the upper surface of the body-portion V23 of the frame-member 2| inwardly to the longitudinal bore or passage 35 therein. ATo retain the stem 43 and hence the coupling-lever 44 in place, the said stem has radially threaded-into its inner Vend a retaining-screw 4l which is accessible for installation and removal through the counterbored forward end 48 of the bore 35 which serves to snugly receive the base-portion 49 of the coupling-post 32.

The coupling-lever 44 is adapted to oscillate through an arc of substantially 90 upon the upper face of the body-portion 28 of the framemember 2| and is provided with a stop-finger 56 engaging a stop-abutment 5| formed upon the Y adjacent portion of the upper wall of the framemember 2|, as clearly indicated in Fig. 4. VThe engagement of the stop-finger 5U with the stopabutment 5| serves to limit the movement of the coupling-lever 44 when the same reaches a p0- sition as indicated by full lines in Fig. 4, in which it is aligned with the gun-structure. To yieldingly retain the coupling-lever in theposition referred to,'it is provided on its rounded forward edge with a detent-pocket 52 receiving a detentplunger 53 mounted in a rearwardly-opening bore 54 inthe upper portion of the frame-member 2|, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The detent-plunger 53 (Fig. 2) is resiliently forced into engagement with the adjacent surfaceY of the coupling-lever 44 by a helical spring 55 also located in the bore 54 before referred to. Y

When the coupling-lever 44 is swung laterally, as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 4 and by full lines in Fig. 6, to permit the uncoupling of the two units of the firearm, the detent-plunger 53 also serves to yieldingly retain the said lever 44 in this position by engaging with a detent-recess 55 (Fig. 3) also formed in the coupling-lever 44 at a position substantially 90 removed from the detent-recess 52 therein before referred to.

When the coupling-lever 44 which is provided at its free end with an upstanding thumb-piece 5l, is aligned with the firearm-structure as indicated particularly well in Figs. 1, 2, 4, and 5, the cam-lip 42 of its rigid stem 43 is in jamming .engagement with the forward or coupling-abutment face 45 of the coupling-nut 31, which latter is securely locked in a previously-adjusted position by the lock-nut 38. Under these conditions the co-action of the cam-lip 42 and the couplingabutment 40 serves to rigidly and securely hold The cam-lip 42 just rethat the cam-lip 42 thereof is disengaged from the coupling-nut131 and the clearance-groove 45 in Vthe lower end of the said stem is turned so as to extend in a direction from front to rear of the firearm-structureV and hence substantially parallel Vwith the path of movement in which the coupling-nut 31V must move as the two units of the firearm are separated by drawing them apart in an axial direction. During the initial axial separation of the two units the upper portion of the coupling-nut 31 will pass through the rear portion of the clearance-groove 45 in the stem 43 in a path which is inclined slightly downward with respect thereto.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings, the butt-unit and the barrel-unit are shown asV partly separated and it should be noted that owing to the inclination of the stem 43 of the coupling-lever 44 that the coupling-nut 3'| moves beneath the said stem 43 VYof the coupling-lever 44 after it has been moved but a relatively short distance forwardly by the separation of the two units in the direction indicated in Fig. 3. Y After the two units have reached the positions in which they are shown in the figure just referred to they are free to be completely separated by moving the framemember 23 forwardly and slightly upwardly with respect to the butt-unit frame-member 2|.

By means Aof the construction and arrangement YofV parts above described, the simple turning I movement of the coupling-lever serves to free the two separable units of the firearm and permit the, same to Abe taken down, so to speak. After the twounits of the firearm have been reassembled 'and the coupling-lever 44 is swung back into its normal position in which it is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the firearm, thecam-lip 42 of the cylindrical stem 43 of the said lever will'positively engage the forward face of the coupling-nut 31 with a suliciently-rm jamming action to insure that the two framemembers 2| and 23 of the firearm will be firmly seated together.

Both for the initial adjustment and'V for sub- 'is completely assembled. The lock-nut 38 may be loosened or tightened by a screw driver or similar instrument inserted through therear end of the bore 35 in which the coupling-post 32 normally extends.

The invention Y"maybe carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing lfrom the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A take-down firearm including in combination: a butt-unit having a frame-member organized therewith; a barrel-unit separable from the said butt-unit and having a rigid framemember intertting with the frame-member of the said butt-unit; the frame-member of one of the said units being provided with a threaded portion for the reception of an adjustable coupling-abutment; and releasable coupling-means for holding the two said units in assembled relationship, including a threaded couplingabutment having threaded engagement with the aforesaid threaded portion of one of the framemembers, the said coupling-means also including an oscillating coupling-lever mounted on the exterior surface of the frame-member complementing the frame-member carrying the said coupling-abutment, the said coupling-lever having a rigid coupling-cam directly engageable with the said threaded coupling-abutment.

2. A take-down firearm including in combination: a butt-unit having a frame-member organized therewith; a barrel-unit separable from the said butt-unit and having a rigid frame-member provided with a threaded portion for the reception of an adjustable coupling-abutment and intertting with the frame-member of the said buttunit; and releasable coupling-means for holding the two said units in assembled relationship, the said coupling-means including a threaded coupling-abutment having threaded engagement with the threaded portion of the frame-member of the said barrel-unit, the said couplingmeans also including an oscillating couplinglever mounted on the exterior surface of the frame-member of the said butt-unit and having a rigid coupling-cam directly engaging the threaded coupling-abutment of the frame-member of the said barrel-unit.

3. A take-down firearm including in combination: a butt-unit frame-member; a barrel-unit frame-member separably intertting with the said butt-unit frame-member and having a threaded portion; and releasable couplingmeans for holding the two said frame-units in assembled relationship including an adjustable coupling-abutment having threaded engagement with the threaded portion cf the said barrelunit frame-member, the Isaid coupling-means also including an oscillating coupling-lever having a rigid stem offsetting therefrom provided with a coupling-cam directly engaging the adjustable coupling-abutment of the said barrelunit frame-member.

4. A take-down rearm including in combination: a butt-unit frame-member having a longitudinal bore therein; a barrel-unit frame-member separably interfltting with the said buttunit frame-member and having a threaded portion adapted to extend into the longitudinal bore of the said butt-unit frame-member; and releasable coupling-means for holding the two said frame-members in assembled relationship, including a threaded coupling-abutment having threaded engagement with the threaded portion of the said barrel-unit frame-member and extending into the bore in the said butt-unit, the said coupling-means also including an oscillating coupling-lever having a stem projecting also into the longitudinal bore of the said butt-unit frame-member and having a rigid coupling-cam directly engaging with the threaded couplingabutment of the barrel-unit frame-member.

5. A take-down firearm including in combination: a butt-unit frame-member having a longitudinal bore and one or more openings leading laterally from the said bore; a barrel-unit framemember separably intertting with the said butt-unit frame-member and having a threaded portion extending into the longitudinal bore therein; and releasable coupling-means for holding the two said frame-members in assembled relationship, including an adjustable couplingabutment having threaded engagement with the threaded portion of the said barrel-unit'framemember, the said coupling-means also including an oscillating coupling-lever having a stem projecting into the longitudinal bore of the said butt-unit frame-member and having a rigid coupling-cam directly engaging with the threaded coupling-abutment of the barrel-unit framemember.

6. A take-clown firearm including in combination: a butt-unit frame-member having a forwardly-facing portion and a rearwardly-facing portion and a longitudinal bore extending between and intersecting both the said forwardlyfacing portion and the said rearwardly-facing portion of the frame-member; a barrel-unit frame-member separably intertting with the said butt-unit frame-member and having an eX- ternally-threaded coupling-projection extending into the longitudinal bore of the said buttunit frame-member; and coupling-means fo-r holding the two said frame-members in assembled relationship including an internally-threaded coupling-abutment adjustably mounted upon the externally-threaded coupling-projection of the said barrel-unit frame-member, the said coupling-means also including an oscillating coupling-lever mounted on the exterior surface of the said butt-unit frame-member and having a stem extending into the longitudinal bore in the said butt-unit frame-member and provided with a coupling-cam directly engaging with the couplingabutment on the coupling-projection of the said barrel-unit frame-member.

EDWIN PUGSLEY. 

